[maccawozzagod]

Originally Posted by Willie Miller

1. Lots of people hate meetings especially with a formal title like AGM

[quote=Willie Miller;479808]can't be helped unfortunately

Originally Posted by Willie Miller

2. The OSC still appears to be a "closed shop" for the informed

[quote=Willie Miller;479808]

I've no idea where this comes from. The minutes are posted on the OSC site within a few days of the meet (not this month though). They are also regularly posted in some shape or form on here (although few other than those at the meet ever comment on them), most of us are also at the Crown or the Oaklea afterwards to discuss a bit more over more drink. We have one of the best (IMHO) OSC websites in the Country that contains more info than I have seen for an OSC (Except the Gallery which will take time to build up unfortunately. We feature all our events in the paper, and on at least three radio stations and they are usually announced over the tannoy and in the programme. We have also been represented at the Carnival as usual but also the Mela and Barrowford show for the first time ever on both occasions

Originally Posted by Willie Miller

3. The OSC ain't any more high profile at ASFC than they were (IMHO)

[quote=Willie Miller;479808]
will they ever be? not until we starting putting ten grand a year minimum into the club

Originally Posted by Willie Miller

4. Lots of the comings & goings are only noticed by accyweb users (IMHO)

[quote=Willie Miller;479808]

probably, yeah. see next bit

Originally Posted by Willie Miller

5. There is still no presence at the ground selling merch etc

[quote=Willie Miller;479808]

we wante dto sell in the clubhouse when the merchandise idea first come around. Rob Heys had agreed that we could have a table in the corner and have it reserved every week. When the clubhouse became 'closed' that obviously got knocked on the head. The Crown was then the next stop but Eric said we couldn't sell anything in there! so we went to the Oaklea. The problem with doing it from a pub is that we have to set everything up, then take it down, store it, get it back up again etc.... not to mention an abundance of away fans trying to shop lift and just generally making a nuisance. Also the smoking ban affects this as folk are wandering around more than they used to. People to man the stall, there are too few people willing to do anything to help with whatever we want to do. Last year I put out three separate requests for people to help with a simple leaflet handing out excercise (inc the player of the year vote) and ended up with only the usual two or three. If the same few people have to keep doing it all the time it affects you r enjoyment of your saturday afternoon out and you start hiding away and avoiding looking into my eyes in case you volunteer for something. When I was doing the memberships I was in the pub two hours before KO and an hour after the game whether I wanted to be or not, sometimes I couldn't do that because we had flyers to hand out. You can't be everywhere without the numbers. edit (we can now sell stuff in the Crown, and this may be trialled a few times but the large number of away fans in there from early will probably kybosh this)

Originally Posted by Willie Miller

6. Many folk still don't know what you are, what you do?

[quote=Willie Miller;479808]

its obvious what we are!!!

Originally Posted by Willie Miller

7. Although the committee seems to have got younger, the club doesn't seem to appeal to the younger element

[quote=Willie Miller;479808]

..... until younger people with younger ideas get involved!! there is nothing whatsoever to stop half a dozen Ultras (for arguments sake) doing Ultra based ideas using OSC money, provided the meet agrees that is in the interest of what we stand for. Can you remember the Ultra meet last year when we decided that we should put up advertising boards in key locations around the borough to advertise the next match? Nothing happened and for no real reason. If half a dozen peole came and had that idea next month then I see reason why we shouldn't stump up £100 or so to buy the materials. Its a gimme.


Ideas

Originally Posted by Willie Miller

1. A newsletter to be handed out at the ground.

[quote=Willie Miller;479808]
I prepared one for the start of the season and handed it around at a meeting. We have sponsorships kinda ready to roll to cover the costs but I just haven't really had the time to get back on it. It will be done though. Provided we can people to hand them out

Originally Posted by Willie Miller

2. A member who travels on Official Away regularly to recruit away travellers on behalf of the OSC (Visible Presence).

[quote=Willie Miller;479808]

This was suggested to me by Rob Heys that if we could get someone from the OSC to help take bookings at the ground then they may benefit from free coach travel to the game. Nobody responded when I announced it the August (?) meeting

Originally Posted by Willie Miller

3. Merch stall with the OSC name to it, colourful & with OSC emblazoned.

[quote=Willie Miller;479808]
This might be the only way to go forwards with anything we do. I spoke with Lewis about it a month or so back and there is a possibilty of putting a structure of some sort under the rear of the roof on the Clayton End. We need a bit more money in the bank though before we start touting this around again to purchase a shed or summat. Again though manpower will play a part in whether this ever happens, and also what about the main stand?

Originally Posted by Willie Miller

4. Promote ASFC as much as poss in press. Sponsored walks etc

[quote=Willie Miller;479808]
media representation already happens, but not enough people again. I write letters to the letters pages of local papers and my last one won letter of the week, I have done the fans panels, I have had interviews on all four local stations in the past two months, we have Press Releases when we have good news. If more people, did more things, then we would get better coverage but it needs everyone regardless of their age or status to get on it. Everybody could ring the fans panel on radio lancs on monday nights and then they would have to talk about Stanley more than the other local teams, everybody can write a letter to the newspaper, or join in the Telegraph forum thingy that they quote after match reports.

As far as Sponsored events are concerned they are not a big thing to me for a couple of reasons. Mainly it is the people doing the event that gets each other to sponsor them, so I'd be sponsoring you for doing something that I am doing myself. For the effort involved in organisnig something that only a handful of people end up bothering with it would be easier to have a sponsored Put Your Hand in Your Pocket and Pull Out Twenty Quid event. The OSC has done walks and things for years and they are old hat that raise little money for the effort, the same thing over and over gets tedious so I have tried to shy away from them. The walk that the Ultras are doing will no doubt do well because there are enough of you doing it and it is reasonably new to most of those that will be on it, and also because you are doing it for Charity you can tap people up who wouldn't put money into Stanley.

Originally Posted by Willie Miller

5. Push all ASFC events ie Quiz Night, Curry Night from newsletter, web, stall

[quote=Willie Miller;479808]
Yes you're right we should have the events listed on our website, the Newsletter will obviously feature them (to fill space as much as owt!).

Originally Posted by Willie Miller

6. Actively seek out fans who don't know & spread the word

[quote=Willie Miller;479808]

People power again! but we do what we can.

[quote=Willie Miller;479805] I would never again attend a formal meeting with chairman etc etc. (We used to as Stanley Ultras reps so to speak) but will always help with things ASFC. As I did on carnival, red & white fortnight etc etc [quote=Willie Miller;479808]

that's a shame as you would help to bring in the younger end that is needed, (for memberships if nowt else)

Originally Posted by Willie Miller

7. Reinstate Poker night (the greatest OSC event ever)

[quote=Willie Miller;479808]

as mentioned though, numbers dwindled and UK Cowboy get tired of trying when there was little or no interest, especially from the Stanley end. It would be good to have a couple a year as special events rather than the once a month format that people may feel tied to. A good old fashioned big cash prize pot to draw (sorry) them in?

Originally Posted by Willie Miller

8. Function / Ents Committee Member !

[quote=Willie Miller;479808]

I offered this post around for three months last year, the idea being to specifically identify and plan differing events. Eventually UK Cowboy took on the post but after another couple of kicks in the teeth numbers wise it faltered. The post is kinda still there and if anybody wanted to do it then they would be more than welcome.

)

Originally Posted by Willie Miller

9. One function per month

[quote=Willie Miller;479808]

not a chance. It is what we agreed though at the end of last season, but when you get 14 people turn up to an artist that has cost you nearly £200 you have to reconsider. I had two nights booked in tentatively for November to put strippers on (Gents evening and Ladies evening), we had a date booked for October for a well known Club circuit singer, but they got cancelled because of previous crap attendances and the fact that I am too busy to flap around organising and attending something that will probably flop. The strippers nights would do well if we had a few people who would go around car garages and pubs and other male dominated places to give out leaflets, same again with the ladie snight - we need people targetting the female typical environs such as Childrens nurseries. But we ain't got the manpower.

Originally Posted by Willie Miller

I agree to both. But some won't go to a meeting with chair & minutes (too formal) but if you said fancy organising a function Mr Miller. Then I'd say

No probs! as I did with the PS2 Games Nights. . . .

Just ask folk & don't think cause they ain't gone to a meeting they ain't an less "Red"

we're all as Red as one another Mr Miller. fancy organising a function Mr Miller.......

Originally Posted by shillelagh

Me i am a member of the OSC - just a month,

thanks for joining Shillelagh, and the extra one that you brought in as well. I just wish more people would join. But everybody wants something for their money (a fiver?) because just 'belonging' isn't good enough. But I would have thought the 15% off your pints at the Oaklea would've swayed a lot more.

Originally Posted by Stanleymad

Trouble is that you need a 'committee' heading to acquire various funds, funding methods & banking, without this the OSC couldn't really survive & is the request requirements of running a group with approx over 5 members [min 3 in some cases for smaller starter groups], thats the way it goes, things have to be paid for & costed to even run as we do - to put on events, merchandise costings, etc & to account finances. But come to a meeting altho it has formal format it is rather informal in feel than some meetings i've been to before

without the format we have to adhere to (kinda ), we wouldn't have the Lottery funding

[quote=Willie Miller;479853]10. Notice board in club house with pics of committee upcoming events etc[quote=Willie Miller;479853] definitely

[quote=Willie Miller;479853]11. Technophobe but Podcast? [quote=Willie Miller;479853]

technophobe but whats that do then? Do you mean like broadcasting the meeting?

Originally Posted by Gayle

I have to admit that I thought we'd be inundated with a response for the trip to Preston football museum and for volunteering for the project but it hasn't been the flood that I expected. The passion that you show on the terraces is still as relevant off the terraces.

You can still PM me if you want a place on the trip.

disappointing, its free for gawds sake!





If you have got all the way down to here and still reading then well done and thanks for bearing with me.

I was really miffed on monday night because it was the AGM and it is only a once a year 'main' meeting. It is one that folk really should make a little more effort to get to. I have had a few PM's of people apologising for their absences but a lot of these were from people outside of Lancashire!

Anyway we soldier on regardless. Every year there are a few people who put their hand up for nearly everything, but a year or two later they don't even come anymore because they have been put on by doing nearly everything and it becomes a bind to the extent where they feel obligated. If we had more numbers then everybody could get involved with a little something and peole could get a break then. I actually feel redundant now that Harwood Red and Pendle Red are doing the memberships, Red Osbornello the website, Gayle managing the Exhibition and the wife certainly notices me around the house a little more now! Little does she realise that the 'free' time will enable me to try to concentrate on a couple of other things.

The functions that we have had, and will have again, are not particulary fund raisers for us (although it woul dbe nice to make more than we spend for once), if it costs us £200 to hold a function but the bar takes £205 then it is a success, of sorts. But if we are still losing money after we have held a raffle, auction and bar takings then that is taking the p....... so we don't do it. The next function will be the Christmas do and I sincerely hope we can make a good amount of money here because that will enable us to host another function a little later.

The merchandise was one big hope we had to get the tills ringing again. Many people on here had intimated that they would buy more if a)there was more choice of goods and b) if the prices were more realistic. But, as John Timmins said a couple of weeks ago, other than the OSC members involved in the project who had actually bought anything? we have sold stuff around the place but nowhere near what we expected to judging by the opinions of this forum. There are some reasons for this failure but it still comes down to not enough people wanting to contribute. Out of all the regular readers on here, have you all seen the list of things we do?

Anyway, thats it from me for today, the whole point of the thread was just to give that little push that we do need you all. We need your ideas, we need your criticisms, we need your numbers and above all we need your encouragement and involvement.

Thank you very much to all those who PM'd me their words of encouragement and thanks Willie for being the only one (other than attnedee's) to respond